


Dean Winchester and the Quest for a Date

by TheSadisticMunchkin



Series: 30 days of AUs you never thought you needed challenge [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 30 Days of Writing, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Human, Bookworm Dean, Castiel Works in a Bookstore, Castiel is a Little Shit, Dean-Centric, First Kiss, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Nerd Castiel, Pining Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-22 16:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3736309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/TheSadisticMunchkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has been harboring a crush on the cute bookstore employee for little over two years. Unlike the male leads in his books, Dean wasn’t confident enough to even ask him out. In his books, he pretends to be a hero and a man that Castiel would adore. In real life, he never really knew if he could be that man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dean Winchester and the Quest for a Date

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the next few fics again. I don't know what's happening to me. Maybe it's lack of sleep again haha oops.

            Dean actually really likes books.

 

            It wasn't expected of him, really. He was a mechanic at the local Auto-Shop who has more grease on his face than sweat. Nobody sees him as the person who would sit down for hours on end just to finish a book. Dean likes to call it his guilty pleasure or his home away from home. Books were, for him, an escape from reality. Books had adventure, excitement, tragedy and romance.

 

            His life was only filled with tragedy and bitchy customers.

 

            So Dean went to the Quiet Corner Bookstore very often to get new books. He wasn’t the type to go to a library and borrow a book. He would end up never actually returning the book again. He gets too attatched to the paperbacks that stack high in his living room or the hard bound copies placed neatly on the book shelf in his bedroom. After he payed to keep his fifth book from the library he decided that he should just buy books from now on.

 

            At least he knows that whatever book he bought will only be his.

 

            There was another reason why Dean goes to the bookstore. That reason was one of their employees, Castiel. If anybody would observe from the outside, they would notice that Dean was completely smitten by the shy, quiet yet sassy employee. He secretly follows the shorter man around, “accidentally” bumping into him and striking up conversations. It seemed that Cas was none the wiser of what he was doing.

 

            Dean hopes that will change soon if he stops being so God damn cowardly.

 

            Every time he goes to the bookstore, he would try to muster up the courage to ask Castiel out. Usually the universe fucks with them the moment Dean was close enough to saying that simple phrase of “Will you go out with me?”. It was never this hard with women and other men. It seems that the world was trying to pull them apart the closer they get to each other.

 

            Maybe Dean should stop reading so many John Green books if those were the thoughts running through his head. He was not the handsome protagonist of a typical Chick-Lit book. He was Dean Winchester, grease smeared on his undershirt and sweat slicked hair. That was hardly a description for a leading man. That sounded more like Clyde Barrow and he sure as hell ain’t making Cas his Bonnie Parker.

 

            Well maybe in the romance part. Not the killing part.

 

            Dean was walking along the shelves of the Sci-Fi section, once again gathering up enough guts to ask Cas out. So far, he found several new books he put on his wishlist but not a good enough pick-up line or charming action to use on Cas. Oh this was pathetic. He should just walk up there and talk to him. He’s done it before, he can definitely do it now. He knows Cas is fond of him… or at least tolerates him.

 

            So with a new found confidence, he took a deep breath and marched right up to the bookstore employee who was currently placing books back on the shelves. He coughed slightly, effectively getting Castiel’s attention. He smiled at the blue-eyed man and he smiled back. “Hello Dean. Can I help you?” _You can help me by going out with me._ “Um yeah… Do you know where I can find the hard bound copies of The Hobbit?”

 

            Great. He just lost a perfect opportunity. Dean was becoming less and less like the Chick-Lit protagonist and more like the awkward yet charming best friend of the female lead. He hopes he can get Cas to notice his feelings soon. He’s going to make sure that it doesn’t take 22 chapters for him to realize that.

 

            “Sure thing, Dean. Is this for you or for a friend?”

 

            “I wouldn’t be giving a hard bound copy of The Hobbit to _anyone._ ” Cas laughed at that, shaking his head fondly. “That is true. This is just the type of book you don’t share with any person.” He didn’t notice that Cas was starting to walk to the area of Fantasy books but he was able to catch up pretty quickly, still holding up a conversation with the guy to distract him from his imminent failure in getting a date.

 

            But when he walked out of the bookstore with a little plastic bag in his hand instead of his number, he almost kicked himself senseless until he remembered he was in public.

* * *

            Dean put a few extra bills in his wallet and decided to run a comb through his hair for once a couple days later. He didn’t know if the money will be used to buy another book or to take Cas out. He was seriously doubting that he would be able to do the latter but it was definitely worth a shot. With a quick glance at the hallway mirror, Sam insisted he put one there, he went outside and drove to the bookstore.

 

            As soon as he parked right outside, he saw Cas fixing up the display of Divergent books by the window. He took a few minutes to observe him and smile at how he made sure every book was stacked perfectly and balanced precisely. Dean was surprised the guy wasn’t made into manager yet. Castiel was arguably the most hard working employee in the entire bookstore.

 

            He took a few more seconds to check his reflection in the mirror, still rocking that Clyde sweat slicked hair look, and got out of the car. Cas noticed him from the display window and waved at him with the warm smile that got to Dean every time. He nodded once at him, walking up to the front door that Cas decided to open for him. “Good afternoon Dean.” He said cheerfully which got Dean all flustered but damn if he was going to keep it cool.

 

            “Hey Cas.” He patted the man on his shoulder, standing back to wait for him to close the door before facing him. “What brings you here today? Did you enjoy The Hobbit?” He asked, grabbing one of the boxes next to the door gently. “How did you know I would be able to finish that in one sitting?” He leaned across one of the lower bookshelves where Cas put his box down. Cas raised an eyebrow at him, taking out several children’s books from the box.

 

            “Are you kidding me? You once sat in the _In My Own Little Reading Corner_ of the store with 3 books and finished them in 3 hours. I think you would have been able to finish The Hobbit just as quickly or even faster.” Dean blinked, honestly surprised that Cas even noticed something like that. “Y-You saw that? I don’t even remember when it was…” He racked his brain of the event, suddenly realizing after a few minutes that it happened 2 years ago.

 

            That was the second week he started coming to the bookstore. He remembered he read Lord of The Flies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and… Oh God he forgot. “I think you read Lord of the Flies, Deathly Hallows and The Killer Angels. You’ve got quite a range.” Cas said as he crossed his arms on top of the same bookshelf Dean was resting his arms on, smiling shyly up at him. Dean tried to process this newfound information.

 

            So he learned today that Cas observes him when he reads and he rememebers little details about him. His heart started thumping wildly in his chest because fuck maybe he actually can do this. If that event he vaguely remembers is still a vivid memory in Cas’ mind then he must feel something for Dean. Dean’s read enough cheesy romance novels to know.

 

            He’s also read enough tragedies to know that if he fuck this up then he will never be able to speak to Cas again without being reminded of his screw up. Dean doesn’t want to screw this up. He was going to take the pen from his non-existent life author’s hands and write his own story now. And he wants Cas to be in the center of it. “Cas? You know how I’ve been uh… visitng this store for a while now right?”

 

            Cas nodded and Dean continued, frantically writing his story in the way he wants it to happen. “Well I don’t just like books you know? I mean, books are awesome and this store is awesome but… that wasn’t the main reason why I keep coming back.” Cas tilted his head to the side, exactly the same way as he did when Dean bought two box sets of the Harry Potter series and they were the last ones in the store.

 

            “What’s the reason then, Dean?” Dean figured that Cas already knew in the way his eyes sparkled and his cheek resting lightly on his palm. Dean chuckled, leaning closer to Cas with smirk. “Don’t act like you don’t know.” And Dean was officially the hot protagonist. He smiled at the light blush that colored Cas’ tan cheeks, at the hands that intertwined with his after a few seconds and at the way his heart started beating loudly in his ears.

 

            “I do know and my shift ends in an hour.” Dean laughed at that, letting go of Cas’ hands and opted to go to the other side of the shelf and stand next to Cas. “I’ll be reading in that corner and we’ll go out for dinner.” He placed tentative hands on Cas’ waist, suddenly feeling his confidence deflating slowly. “Is this okay?” he asked and Castiel only responded by wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck and pulling him closer.

 

            “It’s okay and you know what Dean?” He brought his lips close Dean’s own and he tried very hard not to breath with an open mouth. “What?” he asked, tightening his grip on Cas’ waist. When their noses brushed, Cas let out a breathy laugh. “I kind of ship us.” Dean chuckled lowly but the sound was lost in Cas’ mouth soon after.


End file.
